Galaxy S9 Will Fight iPhone X Face ID with This

Samsung has a big update planned for the security features built into its upcoming Galaxy S9.

Site: Tom's GuideIn a bid to keep pace with Apple and other companies that are investing heavily in biometric technologies, Samsung will deliver an improved iris scanner in its upcoming Galaxy S9, The Korea Herald is reporting, citing people who claim to have knowledge of its plans.

The iris lens will come with a 3-megapixel sensor, up from a 2-megapixel sensor in the Galaxy S8 line, the report said. It should do a better job of identifying a person's irises, and will also accurately identify the iris when people "wear eyeglasses, move their eyeballs, or are in a too dark or too light environment," the Korean media outlet's sources said, according to SamMobile, which earlier covered the report.

Samsung earlier this year released the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ with three biometric features: a fingerprint scanner, a face scanner, and an iris scanner. The features were designed to safeguard access to the smartphone's software, and could also be used to verify payments.

The same three biometric features were also made available in the Galaxy Note 8 released earlier this year.

Much of the focus in the rumors surrounding Samsung's Galaxy S9, which is slated to hit store shelves early next year, have centered on the device's face scanner. Some reports have said that it would get a big boost that would allow for 3D scanning to match the scanner in the iPhone X. Others, however, have said it'll still deliver the 2D scanning available in the Galaxy S8 line, the same type of technology that was fooled by a photo.

Not much has been said about the iris scanner, though there's been speculation that Samsung would offer it in next year's device. The boost in the sensor quality could help Samsung differentiate the Galaxy S9 from the iPhone X.